Will big screen ereaders save newspapers?

[Daithi]

I keep reading about how newspapers are looking towards large screen ereaders as a potential savior of their industry. Is this wishful thinking or a strong possibility?

I'm going to buy a large screen ereader as soon Amazon makes it available, but not because I want to read the newspaper on it. I want a big screen ereader for technical manuals, textbooks, illustrated books, and for displaying PDFs.

Currently, I get my newspaper delivered to my home. But, if I had one of the large screen ereaders I'd probably switch to having the paper sent to my ereader, just so I didn't have to go to the trouble of recycling. However, I just don't envision that many people ponying up $600+ for a big ereader. I simply don't see these devices saving the newspaper industry. Then again, maybe I'm just missing something.

[Andybaby]

well the Cost of big screen readers will go down.

<12" Laptops, Used to cost upwards of 1500 Bucks before ASUS released the EEE for $400. and in 1 and a half years, the entire Industry has created Netbooks for less thank $500 bucks.

Now, Ereaders Wont have the same adoption rates as laptops do, but i can imagine in years to come ereaders coming down in price, and up in power.

When an Ereader is a Giant Ipod Touch, i think adoptions will soar, people want a device like the Pads in Star Trek.

as the Tech Advances, more and more people will adopt.

The Current Readers are rather lacking in functionality that would make the person who doesnt buy books adopt it.

For example
I bought an Ipod touch for the games and programs, I rarely listen to music.

When someone can say something like that for an Ereader, Thats when adoption rates will soar. I think in 15 years time everyone will have one, Even those who dont read for pleasure

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by Daithi

I keep reading about how newspapers are looking towards large screen ereaders as a potential savior of their industry. Is this wishful thinking or a strong possibility?

Mainly wishful thinking, IMHO. It won't hurt -- but the problems of newspapers are fairly deep and systemic, and this isn't going to come close to solving them.

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by bwaldron

It won't hurt -- but the problems of newspapers are fairly deep and systemic, and this isn't going to come close to solving them.

It might hurt them. Electronic reader is as convenient platform for consummation of BBC or Reuters articles available on web, as it is for reading electronic newspaper editions.

[Phogg]

Saving the newspapers is no more possible at this point than saving ice delivery wagons, livery stables, or slide rules.

There have been many analysis and debates on the topic, but this article by Clay Shirky posits some of the most salient points concisely

[Daithi]

The following article is absolutely excellent! (From Phogg's link to Clay Shirky)
http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2009/03...e-unthinkable/

Here are a few snippets of quotes --

Round and round this goes, with the people committed to saving newspapers demanding to know “If the old model is broken, what will work in its place?” To which the answer is: Nothing. Nothing will work. There is no general model for newspapers to replace the one the internet just broke.

Print media does much of society’s heavy journalistic lifting... attending the City Council meeting, just in case. This coverage creates benefits even for people who aren’t newspaper readers... [we will miss the newspapers but]... irrelevant to the problem at hand; “You’re gonna miss us when we’re gone!” has never been much of a business model.

For the next few decades, journalism will be made up of overlapping special cases. Many of these models will rely on amateurs as researchers and writers. Many of these models will rely on sponsorship or grants or endowments instead of revenues. Many of these models will rely on excitable 14 year olds distributing the results. Many of these models will fail. No one experiment is going to replace what we are now losing with the demise of news on paper, but over time, the collection of new experiments that do work might give us the journalism we need.

[Madam Broshkina]

As long as news is free on the internet I do not see a large form reader making much of a difference. I see it more for text books and technical manuals.

[khalleron]

We're almost back to how it was in the 18th century, when the printing press allowed pretty much anyone to print and distribute anything they wanted to - pamphleteering was the primary way knowledge and opinion was spread, and newspapers were owned and operated by single individuals, not giant corporations. It was this form of journalism that the American founding fathers were familiar with, and expected to be the watchdog of government, not the commercial journalism we're familiar with and sit bemoaning the death of.

Corporate-owned journalism is dying? Good! We'll be just fine without it, I'm sure. What model will take its place? I don't know, but it couldn't be any worse than what we have.